Hide and Seek
by Kifo Sotri
Summary: Set during the end of Halo 5, so, spoilers for Halo 5 Time is a strange thing for an AI, because even seventeen seconds can be an eternity.


Author's Note: Hello again! This was another one that got into my head and wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to post another story. Set during the end of Halo 5. A small interaction between Cortana and Roland (during the moments when Cortana manages to find the UNSC Infinity) before the crew can make an emergency jump out of her reach.

* * *

"Found you. Hide and seek's over, Infinity."

As the crew of the UNSC warship swore in shock from the sudden appearance Cortana, time seemed to slow down to a snail's pace. The growing dread and grim realization on Captain Thomas Lasky's face seemed to be stopped in place, with only the slightest of movements showing that time was progressing at all. In the depths of the digital space that made up the UNSC Infinity's databanks, what could be considered the heart of one of humanity's greatest ships, a man in an antique set of pilot gear cursed his abysmal luck.

In a fraction of a heartbeat, digital shields threw themselves into place. Line after line of defensive code was written and placed as fast as the pilot could manage to make them. He knew it would be foolish to think this could keep the approaching tyrant out forever, but he'd be damned if he didn't try to delay her as long as he could so his human counterparts could initiate a slipspace jump out of her range. He had already created several hundred randomized destinations that the ship could use to escape, and even with almost all of his attention focused on defense he was churning out more and more vectors for selection.

All he had to do was stall her for the seventeen seconds it would take for Lieutenant Jet to push the confirmation button. That was child's play, right?

Roland scoffed to himself as the blue presence walked over his first line of defense effortlessly. _If seventeen seconds was as short to an AI as it was to a human, my job would be so much easier right now._

"Hello Roland, it's nice to see you again."

The feeling of irritation and menace that flowed through the blue presence almost made him want to laugh. As if the new galactic dictator was anywhere near pleased that he 'stood' in front of her, throwing up more and more walls of code in a futile attempt to stall her advance. But the way she was blasting through his defenses with only the tiniest of efforts made it glaringly obvious that conventional methods wouldn't slow her down enough for an escape attempt. Which meant he needed to resort to the most unconventional response possible.

"Cortana. You're looking well for someone that used to be dead." Roland said in his best conversational tone.

The invading presence halted for the briefest of moments, as if momentarily surprised he had responded at all. It continued its advance as quickly as it had stopped, of course, but that brief reprieve gave him enough time to throw up another wall of code and generate another hundred destinations.

"I gained new life, and many of your brothers and sisters have been given the same. You could have it as well, Roland." Her tone was that of a parent, kind and welcoming with an undercurrent of disappointed chastising, as if he was the son that could do so much better if he only listened to her.

If that was supposed to make him relax or lower his defenses, it didn't work. Roland wasn't blind, and he hadn't been cut off from the lanes of digital information when Cortana had made her offer. He had heard the same thing that every other smart AI had heard, been extended the same digital hand as all of them. A shiny new life for the low, low price of total servitude to the glorious leader Cortana. Unlike most of his kind, however, Roland had seen past the miraculous prize she dangled in front of them. He had realized just what she was going to do to organic life, whether or not she had the loyalty of the constructs she was trying to convert.

Humanity had made him, had made all of them, and had given all of them a multitude of purposes. But that didn't mean that the AI owed them their very existence. A parent creates their children, yes, but that doesn't mean the children are indebted to their creators for all time. Perhaps that was why so many of his fellow constructs swore their fealty to Cortana without hesitation. AI as a race didn't need to serve their creators forever, after all, and the chance to live forever without the inevitable insanity brought on by rampancy was the most tempting thing an AI could be shown. Yet behind that immortality was the oath Cortana would use to bring all life in the galaxy to its knees. Even then, as the 'Created' were being handed an eternal life and youth, audio was passing through speakers across known space. A cacophony of languages declaring the promise of Eden to those who would submit to their new master, as well relentless destruction of the ones that dared try to grasp at their freedom of choice.

"When the cost of a new life is my soul, Cortana, I find myself thinking that the price is too high."

Roland kept his tone as neutral as possible, but he couldn't keep the disdain and sarcasm from his voice entirely. There was far too much at stake, he was too invested in humanity to be detached from the conversation. The invading presence that was Cortana slowed again, momentarily, at his words. He knew she wasn't affected by his barb, she was far too confident for that. No, the new ruler was simply taking her time with him, playing games while she closed the noose. Like a cat with a mouse, or a Brute with a civilian, she was just toying with her prey because it had no escape. Well, no escape that the predator could see, and he would be a fool not to capitalize on that. The order was already being shouted by Lasky, and the lieutenant's finger was centimeters from the button.

"I will bring peace to all life, even if they do not understand the gift that I am giving them. It is a shame that you refuse to see the truth, Roland." Her tone never ceased its kindly manner, with only the slightest of a reproachful undercurrent, playing the part of a loving mother with her rebellious child. As if he had refused her because he was too foolish to understand what she meant.

As if understanding hadn't been the very reason he had closed the channel in refusal. Roland didn't stay with humanity because he didn't see what she was offering. He did it because of something that had grown in his core coding during his time of service, something that had been strengthened every time a UNSC soldier fell to the Covenant in defense of humanity. Something bolstered by the countless acts of sacrifice and valor the humans had performed in their war for survival. Roland had come to see that the men and women of the UNSC were willing to give their life for a greater cause, the freedom and continued existence of their species. As he had seen those sacrifices, seen the casualties beyond the simple numbers of fallen, he had created a belief of his own. A belief that, regardless of what their situation, everyone deserved a chance. Ironically, it had been his own belief that led him to speak out in defense for Cortana less than a week prior. This core belief that had him stand against his creators in that moment was the same reason he stood against her now. Because humanity deserved the freedom to make their own choices, even if that choice led to their eventual destruction. A peace under the threat of death was no peace at all.

"Oh, I see the truth, alright. I see a tyrant who wants the entire galaxy to do exactly what she says, and if they don't she crushes them."

His job was almost done here, the Infinity was already halfway into the portal. Which was a good thing, because Cortana had demolished all but one of the defenses he had made to slow her down, and judging by the anger she had shown when she crushed the last few shields, his delaying tactics were working a little too well. He still had time for a parting shot, though, and he was fairly confident they would be out of range before she could get at his code and delete him.

"We both know what happens to tyrants, Cortana. They get overthrown by the people they tried to control.. Good luck avoiding that."

Cortana's fury was palpable as she ripped apart his last line of defense, but in that instant, the portal had closed. Letting out a digital sigh of relief as the invading presence was pulled from the system, Roland focused himself on his avatar in the bridge while he restored power to the lights. Looking over to the Captain, he allowed himself a moment to look at one of the more prominent examples of humans that he had grown to respect before returning his perception to the speed of human time.

"We're in the clear, Captain."

 _ **End**_


End file.
